I don't have the answers. I am not the BEST organizer. In fact, I know that I can be wrong a lot! What I DO know is that organizing is hard (even for organized people). It takes work and motivation.
My blog is meant to INSPIRE you, and maybe give you some insight that you can use within your own life. I hope to share things that work for me - with the hope that things will be be better for YOU! Enjoy!

disorder2order blog

Thursday, June 25, 2015

There is nothing worse than realizing that you can’t
remember the last time you cleaned the bathroom. This is why I hate to clean! I hate to
clean so much that I have raised the bar for the boys so that they can do it - and not me! For ever I struggle with feeling like if someone else did it, I wouldn't be happy with the results. No sir. Not anymore.

In Martha Stewart’s Living, she offers a great section called Gentle Reminders.
Here she frequently gives great ideas of thing that need to be done in your
home at that season, like when to clean the windows or the when to clean out
the garage. Seriously, I can not even remember the last time I cleaned the windows.

Cleaning doesn’t have to be everyday and it doesn’t have to
be perfect every time. I find that if I break the task down into manageable
pieces, it doesn’t seem so big. Here are my Top Five Quick Tips to cleaning:

1. Wipe Before
You Walk-Away. If you leave a surface, wipe it before you leave it. Doesn’t
matter if it’s the bathroom counter or the kitchen counter, just wipe it.

2. Scrap the
Scraps. Make sure you toss, recycle or reuse items that are empty, expired
or useless. There is no sense keeping things to add to clutter.

3. Manage
Mail in the Moment. As soon as you get the mail, recycle all the paper,
file what needs to be filed and you will be left with a nice stack of things to
review. Don’t hesitate – if you hesitate that is when things get lost,
misplaced or left behind.

4. Employ
Help. Make sure that everyone in the household has some responsibility to
manage or job responsibility. It should not just be one person managing everything (especially the
ladies in the house!).

5. Tackle It
Tonight. If you can set aside 10-15 minutes every night before you go to be
to do those few little tasks that might save you 5 minutes in the morning… it’s
worth it. Things like make the coffee, load the dishwasher (or do the dishes)
or maybe plan your to-do list for the next day… can be a life saver.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Good
time management can bring so much more than just an organized calendar. It can
give you the control and success for planning out your
day. If it’s organizing your closet, kitchen or schedule, you have to find a
starting point and go from there. Here are seven tips to getting organized with
your time.

1.Use a Planner: This is a helpful tool in keeping
your schedule organized. Deciding what kind of planner will work best for you
is important? Paper or electronic? Calendar versus binder? A few things to consider
when choosing a planner is your learning style, your visual preference or the size
and shape.

2.Make a List (aka do a “Brain Dump”): Write down all of the items, tasks
or appointments that need to be done. Sometimes it’s helpful to have your list
in a section of your planner. During the course of your week you can continue
to add to this list as needed.

3.Break Down Tasks: Breaking down your list into
categories will help when it comes time to assign time slots for each task.
It’s best to code your list into helpful categories like tasks, appointments,
personal or business just to name a few. As new items get added to your list
you will easily know how to categorize them.

4.When are You at Your Best? What time of day are you most
productive? Knowing your energy cycle1 is a key element to knowing
when to assign certain tasks. Difficult tasks should always be assigned during
your high productivity time and easy tasks during your lower productivity time.

1 The concept of energy
cycles is taken from Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

5.Estimating Time. Knowing how long a task will take is
something you learn over time. The important thing is to estimate how long
tasks will take and assign the appropriate amount of time for the task. NOTE: Things happen; we have
interruptions, kids or distractions that take us away from our focus. Don’t worry
about it! Accounting for those things is helpful when estimated how much time a
task takes.

6.Maintenance! In my opinion, this is the most
important step in keeping up with your schedule. Scheduling regular maintenance
for your calendar should be the most important appointment during your week.
Usually, I recommend that this be an end of week appointment, to plan out your
coming week. During your maintenance appointment, you can review your list, add
new items, delete items etc. The most important thing is that you are
maintaining your time!